Sue Johnson

In insecure relationships, we disguise our vulnerabilities so our partner never really sees us.

— Sue Johnson

“Emotional Responsiveness— The Key to a Lifetime of Love A person’s “heart withers if it does not answer another heart.” —Pearl S.…

— Sue Johnson

“When marriages fail, it is not increasing conflict that is the cause. It is decreasing affection and emotional responsiveness...”

— Sue Johnson

“Curiosity comes out of a sense of safety; rigidity out of being vigilant to threats.”

— Sue Johnson

Being the “best you can be” is really only possible when you are deeply connected to another. Splendid isolation is for planets,…

— Sue Johnson

The most functional way to regulate difficult emotions in love relationships is to share them.

— Sue Johnson

“Trauma is any terrifying event that instantly changes the world as we know it, leaving us helpless and emotionally overwhelmed.”

— Sue Johnson

Naming an emotion begins the process of regulating it and reflecting on it.

— Sue Johnson

“If you know your loved one is there and will come when you call, you are more confident of your worth, your…

— Sue Johnson

“what happens when trauma survivors stay emotionally shut down? Trauma’s echoes cannot dissipate. The continuing reverberations gradually erode connection and trust with…

— Sue Johnson

“Sociologist James House of the University of Michigan declares that emotional isolation is a more dangerous health risk than smoking or high…

— Sue Johnson

Love has an immense ability to help heal the devastating wounds that life sometimes deals us. Love also enhances our sense of…

— Sue Johnson

“Louise Hawkley, of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, calculates that loneliness raises blood pressure to…

— Sue Johnson

“out? I’ll swing like always and you duck if you can. Both feel bad then. Do we need to do it? Or…

— Sue Johnson

When love doesn't work, we hurt. Indeed, “hurt feelings” is a precisely accurate phrase, according to psychologist Naomi Eisenberger of the University…

— Sue Johnson

“When we love our partner well, we offer a blueprint for a loving relationship to our children and their partners. Better relationships…

— Sue Johnson

“Love can begin in a thousand ways-with a glance, a stare, a whisper or smile, a compliment, or an insult. It continues…

— Sue Johnson

“Sitting, years later, watching the last of the ice finally melting on our lake one morning in early April and hearing my…

— Sue Johnson

“Sociologist James House of the University of Michigan declares that emotional isolation is a more dangerous health risk than smoking or high…

— Sue Johnson

“certain incidents do more than just touch our raw spots or “hurt our feelings.” They injure us so deeply that they overturn…

— Sue Johnson

“From your viewpoint, is your partner accessible to you? I can get my partner’s attention easily. T F My partner is easy…

— Sue Johnson